A Liar's Lament
by DragonShadow
Summary: Clover cheats to get passing grades on her exams, but her cheating ways prompt Sam to reveal some long-hidden emotions...


A Liar's Lament  
  
Beverly Hills... a place where one would think life was like a dream. Where people walked around on clouds of silk and gold, but this wasn't true. The hardships of life kept creeping their way back in, like tests that one never had time to study for or heartbreaks that left one emotionally scarred. Then there was the added pressure of being a secret agent, and it was enough to drive James Bond into submission.  
  
Clover refused to buckle though, despite the red F that mocked her from the test sheet she'd just received from her math teacher. The day was too nice to be ruined by grades. The sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze blowing across the campus, but the condescending stare of her teacher was like a dark cloud just waiting to burst and flood the entire area.  
  
"See me after class, Clover." She smirked and walked back up toward the front while Clover heaved a sigh. She felt her friends, Sam and Alex, each put a comforting hand on her shoulder as the teacher turned at the front of the class. "If there are no questions, you're all dismissed." Everyone except Clover stood up and moved to shuffle out.  
  
"Hang in there Clover, it'll be fine." Alex muttered conspiratorially as she and Sam made their way to the door to wait for her. Clover looked up at her teacher loomed over her, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"This is the third test in a row that you've flunked, Clover." The teacher shook her head. "You used to do so well. What happened?"  
  
"I guess you moved past my mental abilities..." Clover huffed. She had the best excuse in the world and she couldn't even use it. Saving the world took up a lot of her time, leaving little time for study.  
  
"Well I'm afraid, Clover, that unless you make straight A's for the rest of the semester you're going to fail this class." The teacher said softly. Clover glared up at her, then sighed and rested her head on her hands.  
  
"Fantastic. If we're done, I have things to do." Clover stood up and headed for the door without another word. When she emerged her two friends swarmed over to her, speaking at once until Clover raised her hand to silence them. "It's nothing, I'm just flunking the class, no big deal."  
  
"No big deal? It's a very big deal Clover!" Sam exclaimed.  
  
"Hardly. I already have a cushy job at WOOHP, I can just ride that once we get out of high school. What do I need any more education for? I know enough to save the world many times over." Clover reasoned.  
  
"Well even so, you could do better if you studied every now and then." Alex pointed out. "We get WOOHPed a lot, but you could sacrifice a Friday night or two to cram."  
  
"And miss out on valuable dating time? I'd become a socially inept statue if I did that... no offense Sammy." Clover said.  
  
"None taken..." Sam growled irritably. "Look, if you want I can come over tomorrow and help you study. It wouldn't take all that long and then you'd have the rest of the day to do whatever you want."  
  
"Tutoring?" Clover scoffed. "I don't think so, you'd might as well staple a 'dunce' sign to my forehead." She smirked.  
  
"Then let's just all get together at Clover's, and we can all study together. Like a study group... then we can have a slumber party when we're done!" Alex suggested.  
  
"Hey yeah, that could work." Sam nodded with a smile. "We could make a night of it. Movies, popcorn, and some good schoolbooks until morning. It'll be a blast." Her and Alex grinned, but Clover grumbled.  
  
"Don't I get a say in this?" She asked.  
  
"No." Sam and Alex replied in unison. Clover sighed as her friends laughed and guided her toward the exit with their hands on her shoulders.  
  
"You two are pure evil, you know that?" Clover asked.  
  
"You'll thank us later Clo-" Sam was cut off when the ground beneath their feet opened up. "veeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr----" They plummeted down the long, winding tunnel until they finally slammed into the floor in a big heap. All three girls groaned and struggled to extricate themselves from the pile as their boss, Jerry, approached with a wry grin on his face.  
  
"Hello ladies. We need your help." Jerry told them.  
  
"Surprise surprise... one of these days I'm waiting for you to bring us here just to say hi." Clover grumbled.  
  
"Don't mind her, personal problem. Tell us what you need Jerry." Sam volunteered.  
  
"There's a conference taking place in the Middle East this evening, between Pakistan and Israel. These talks could potentially end a war... but there are forces who would give anything to keep that from happening. Your mission is to attend the conference and make sure it goes off without a hitch." Jerry told them.  
  
"I thought we were spies, not bodyguards." Alex commented.  
  
"No military personnel are allowed at the conference, so you will be going undercover as journalists covering the event. You will be our only protection against incidents, so be on extra high alert." Jerry instructed them. "Now, for your equipment." He snapped his fingers and several items dropped from the ceiling.  
  
"Hey, dibs on the fabulous ring!" Clover rushed up and snatched a small ring from Jerry's palm. It had a modestly sized diamond on top, and a plain looking gold band.  
  
"That is the Diocam. It sends a signal of what the hidden camera picks up to this watch, which plays the video on the watch face." Jerry handed Clover an inconspicuous black watch. Clover slipped on both the ring and the watch, grinning to herself. "You also have three pairs of X-ray sunglasses, and three Audio-Recording Tiaras."  
  
"Rings, tiaras, sunglasses... remind me to come to you before the next school dance." Alex commented as she gathered up her share of the equipment. Jerry smirked and quirked one eyebrow.  
  
"Yes... well good luck ladies. This mission is of the most dire importance, so be careful not to mess it up." Jerry snapped his fingers and the three girls plunged through the floor on their way to accomplish their assignment.  
  
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"Who holds an important conference like this in the middle of the night?" Clover grumped as she and her partners made their way toward the large government building. It had only been thirty minutes since Jerry had sent them, but those time zone changes were murder on ones senses. All three girls were wearing formal black dresses, and the equipment they'd picked up from Jerry.  
  
"Terrorists could be watching for just this kind of conference, it would be too easy to spot if all the leaders of both nations came together during the day." Sam replied as they approached the front entrance to the large building. She held up her papers to show to the heavily armed guard. He grunted and nodded slightly, moving aside to let them pass.  
  
The girls went inside. There were large desks set up against one wall, but most of those present were milling about and talking in hushed tones. The place seemed to be one large room, lavishly decorated with red carpet and glittering light fixtures. Sam looked over at her partners. "Okay girls, split up and keep your eyes peeled for any sign of trouble." Each girl went their separate ways to keep their lookout.  
  
Diplomats and politicians scurried around the room like insects, talking and muttering acknowledging remarks as they passed by each other. Clover noted that it was a bit like watching a funeral procession, except without the dead person. With any luck, they could keep there from being any dead people here.  
  
Clover wandered toward the desks on the far side of the room that looked so much like caskets, rapping her knuckles against one. Solid oak... they didn't spare any expense for this thing. She turned around and almost slammed into a large muscle-bound man. He spoke to her, but in a language she couldn't even begin to decipher.  
  
"Um... bathroom." Clover smiled nervously and ducked away from him, disappearing into the crowd. When he was out of sight she breathed a sigh of relief, then gasped when she felt something bumpy slam into her back. "Hello... what have we here?" She turned around to see a short, stocky man with a beard speaking in a solemn tone to a slender woman.  
  
Clover reached into her purse and pulled out the X-ray sunglasses, sliding them on her face to look through his jacket. It looked like a small circular object sticking out of his back pocket... but wasn't it a little odd for a diplomat to have a stick of gum at a conference like this?  
  
Clover turned and headed for the edge of the crowd, careful to keep one eye on the suspicious man. She pulled out her compowder and signal Sam. "Hey, I found someone with something suspicious in his back pocket. I think it might be an explosive."  
  
"Hang on a sec, I'll come help check it out." Sam replied. Clover nodded and closed her compowder, looking back through the crowd. Her eyes widened when she realized the man was gone.   
  
"Oh crap... where did he go?" Clover's eyes darted around the room in search of the man, but he seemed to have vanished into thin air.  
  
Sam walked calmly up to her, as though they were just friends meeting at a party. "So where is he?"  
  
"I don't know, he vanished while I was contacting you." Clover replied.  
  
"Did you hear any of what they said before you left to contact me?" Sam asked.  
  
"A little, but I couldn't understand the language." Clover replied.  
  
"But WOOHP can." Sam reached up and pulled of Clover's tiara, pulling out her compowder. Both spies turned to face the wall as Sam loaded the tiara's tape into the compowder for translation. "Looks like he said... 'I'll meet you at the bottom'... What does that mean?" Sam asked.  
  
"The bottom of the building maybe?" Clover asked. They both blinked and stood up. "The basement!"  
  
Sam turned on her compowder's communication function. "Alex, meet us in the basement." She closed the compowder and both girls turned to walk calmly through the crowd, though they moved as fast as they could. Finally they emerged from the crowd and made their way to the small, inconspicuous looking door. They plunged through it into the staircase, taking the stairs two at a time in their haste.  
  
They burst into the cold and damp basement, looking around quickly for any sign of the small stick Clover had seen earlier. "It's too small, there's no way we'll be able to find it just looking like this."  
  
"Well..." Sam trailed off when she heard a noise from a dark corner of the room. Cautiously Sam and Clover made their way over to the corner, moving as silently as one could move in two inch high-heels. They found a small door and moved to the sides of it, hearing the noises emanating under the crack in the door. Sam silently counted down on her fingers before gripping the doorknob and thrusting it open.  
  
"Alright where's the... bomb...?" She stopped and stared in confusion when her and Clover stumbled in on the man Clover had seen before lying on top of the woman from before, with their pants around their ankles. There was a condom wrapper sitting at their feet... the object Clover had seen. "Um... wrong room..." Sam blushed furiously and slammed the door shut, her face turning beet red.  
  
"Okay, I could have gone a lifetime without seeing that." Clover clawed at her own eyes as though trying to tear them out.  
  
"Hey, it means the conference isn't in any danger, so it's a good thing." Sam cleared her throat. "Come on, we should go back upstairs and keep an eye out for any real terrorists." The two girls turned to go back upstairs side-by-side. "Sure, maybe it was a bit anti-climactic, but not every job has to be super-difficult."  
  
"I guess... but it's times like this I wish I could be a journalist. I could become totally famous exposing that guy's infidelity to the world." Clover chuckled evilly. They ran into Alex at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Girls, I got your message, what's going on? Is there something downstairs?" Alex asked.  
  
"Alex, as your friend, do NOT go downstairs under ANY circumstances." Clover shivered and moved to join Sam, who's already ventured further into the crowd. Alex blinked in confusion, then shrugged and followed her partners into the throng of diplomats to continue their mission.  
  
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"Ugh... finally..." Clover shucked off her high-heels as she stumbled into her bedroom in Beverly Hills. What a long... boring mission that had turned out to be. The conference had lasted over twelve hours, and nobody had decided a damn thing. By the end of it she was wishing someone would try to bomb the place, just so she wouldn't have to stand around like a robot in high-heels anymore.  
  
She pushed the straps of her dress off her shoulders and let the dress fall to the ground while she collapsed onto her bed in white bra and panties. "Hello sweet comfort..." She wrapped her arms around the pillow, snuggling into it until she felt something poking into her cheek. "Ow, what...?" She sat up and looked down at her hand. The Diocam ring... in her exhaustion she'd completely forgotten about it.  
  
"I guess I should give this back to Jerry tomorrow." She pulled the ring off her finger and moved to put it on the nightstand, but she stopped when she saw the pile of tests sitting there with bright red F's on each of them. If Sam would see fit to help her she wouldn't be in that situation... but there were always options for a spy...  
  
"Hmm..." Clover stroked her chin and looked down at the diamond ring. It looked nondescript really. If she hadn't been told what it did she would never have guessed. And the watch was rather ordinary too... nobody would ever suspect anything if she, or someone else, wore them to school.  
  
"Just for a while." Clover told herself as she closed her fist around the ring. Her plan decided, she finally placed her head back on the pillow and drifted off into the arms of bodybuilders and movie stars.  
  
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The following day, nobody would ever be able to tell that the girls had spent much of the last day and night at a political event... barring the huge bags under each of their eyes. But thanks to the magic of makeup, they were able to hide the bags, though it didn't hide Clover and Sam's slightly hunched shoulders. Alex though was still bouncing with youthful enthusiasm.  
  
"I gotta tell you girls, I'm seriously looking forward to tonight. We don't get enough chances to just hang out together anymore." Alex wrapped one arm around each of her friends' shoulders. "And I haven't been to ANY slumber parties in ages."  
  
"Remember, it's not just a party Alex." Sam reminded her seriously. "We're going to study."  
  
"Yeah, I need to study a bit... then we can have fun." Clover commented. Sam and Alex both turned to give her looks of astonishment... and Alex even looked slightly afraid. "What? I did some thinking and I don't want to fail high school. It would totally ruin my perfect image."  
  
"I'm glad you came around." Sam smiled and reached over to squeeze one of Clover's shoulders. "We'll get you in tip-top form in no time, you'll see." She flashed her blond friend a smile. Clover smiled back and nodded, putting her arms around her friends as well before the bell rang to call them into class.  
  
The rest of the day passed without particular incident, until Clover found herself sitting in her living room in a flowing pink nightgown with her hair up in braids like a schoolgirl. Alex sat beside her in a pink nightgown with an embroidered silver duck over her chest, and her own hair up in a pair of pigtails. She was just putting the finishing touches on Clover's hair. "There... perfect."  
  
"Aren't you taking this whole 'little girl slumber party' motif a little too far?" Clover asked with a smirk.  
  
"No way, it wouldn't be a slumber party if we didn't dress the part." Alex grinned. Clover's comeback would have ruined Alex's good mood if the doorbell hadn't rung in that instant. The blond girl grumbled to herself as she got up and pulled the door open, revealing Sam holding a backpack flung over one shoulder.  
  
"Hey girls, sorry I'm late. I had to grab some books to use." Sam walked in and Clover closed the door behind her. Sam dropped her backpack on the ground and retrieved a pink nightgown identical to Clover's from inside of it. "I'll go get changed, then we'll hit the books."  
  
"Hair first, then books." Alex grunted like a cavewoman. Sam rolled her eyes and nodded resignedly before heading into the bathroom to change. She came back out soon in her pink nightgown and Alex took to pulling her hair back into a childish looking ponytail while Sam tried to pull out a math book and begin their studying.  
  
"Okay Clover, anything times zero is what?" Sam asked.  
  
"Zero, duh. Don't insult me Sammy." Clover huffed.  
  
"Okay, a positive number times a negative number is a..." Sam paused, staring at Clover. Clover blinked and looked over at Alex, but she was too wrapped up in Sam's length of fiery red hair to pay attention to the questions.  
  
"A... zero?" Clover guessed. Sam sighed and shook her head.  
  
"No Clover, a negative. Positive and negative numbers come out negative, while two positive or two negative numbers come out positive." Sam shook her head (met with dismayed yells from Alex, who had to start over her delicate braiding techniques) again and looked up to stare at Clover. "Have you paid attention in math classes... ever?"  
  
"Of course I have! It's just... been a long time." Clover blushed slightly and looked down at the floor, trying not to meet Sam's gaze. "Just leave me alone. I think that's enough studying, let's get to the 'party' part of this."  
  
"I don't think so. We're here to help you and we will." Sam announced authoritatively. So they resumed quizzing Clover on questions from every conceivable school topic until Clover was almost wishing to be back at that twelve-hour conference. Even Alex was stumping her with her questions, and Clover was getting sick of it all.  
  
"Okay, that's enough!" Clover grabbed the schoolbook away from Sam and flung it across the room. "I'm done for the night!"  
  
"Okay, okay..." Sam raised her hands defensively. "We'll keep studying tomorrow..." She looked over at Alex, who had a confused, and somewhat guilty look on her face. "Why don't you slip a movie into the DVD player Alex? I brought What Dreams May Come, I thought we could watch that."  
  
"Ooh, I love that movie!" Alex sprang to her feet to dig through Sam's bag in search of the DVD. Clover looked down at the floor and climbed onto the bed, lying face down on the pillow. She heard Alex starting the movie behind her as two more forms climbed onto the bed beside Clover. She didn't react to them, letting them settle in to watch the movie.  
  
They didn't bother her... though she almost wished they would. It was so humiliating... realizing that even the childlike Alex was so much better academically than she was. She listened to Robin Williams run through his spiritual journey, interspersed with Alex's sobs as the movie wore on. Alex's voice faded slowly into a steady rhythmic breathing beside Clover as the girl fell asleep toward the end of the movie.  
  
The TV shut off and Clover felt the folded up blanket being pulled out from under her legs. A pair of gentle hands pushed it up to her shoulders, obviously thinking she was asleep. The hands moved away from her, and she felt the bed tilt to the other side of Alex as Sam joined them in bed.  
  
"Sammy..." Clover sat up and muttered. Sam pushed herself up, blinking in surprise.  
  
"What's wrong Clover? Can't sleep?" Sam asked softly so as not to wake up Alex.  
  
"Kinda... I've been thinking and I think I owe you an apology and a thank you..." Clover shook her head and stood up, walking around the bed to sit beside Sam. The redhead sat up to watch her curiously. The light had already been shut off, leaving the pale moonlight from the window as the only illumination that they had.  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it. I know it was probably kind of embarrassing... I'm sorry I put you through that." Sam replied.  
  
"No, it's a good thing." Clover sighed and reached for the nightstand, wrapping her fist around the Diocam ring. "And I wanted to give you something... as a thank you for being such a good friend for so long no matter how much of a witch I can be."  
  
"Clover, you don't have to give me anyth..." Sam's breath caught in her throat when Clover opened her fist to reveal the small diamond ring sitting in her palm. "Oh my God... Clover... a diamond ring? I couldn't accept that..." She blushed slightly as Clover grabbed her hand and pushed the ring into her palm.  
  
"Keep it, I want you to have it." Clover smiled and pushed her fingers closed around the ring. "Just think of it as a thank you... for everything you've ever done for me."  
  
"Aww Clover..." Sam reached out and pulled Clover into a tight hug, which the blond girl returned. "You can really surprise me sometimes, you know that?" Clover blinked and wrapped her arms around Sam as well, leaning her cheek against the redhead's shoulder. Sam's fingers ran gently over Clover's back, across the thin fabric of her nightgown. "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome Sammy." Clover smiled and moved back from her, smiling broadly. Sam was smiling at her as well, her eyes moist with tears. "Are you okay? What are you crying over...? I know it's generous but it's nothing to cry about." Clover nudged her friend's shoulder gently.  
  
"I'm sorry... it's just... nothing..." Sam shook her head and gave Clover a gentle smile. Clover blinked, staring at her curiously. There was something in those eyes that she hadn't expected... a deep sadness that seemed to have sprung up from nowhere. As though she were mourning something that had been lost long ago. "We should get some sleep... g... goodnight Clover." Sam said.  
  
"Sure Sam... goodnight..." Clover shook her head and stood, walking around the bed again to climb under the sheets. Sam's expression bugged her for the rest of the night, keeping sleep as little more than a distant desire. Sunlight flooded in through the window before she could even get her eyes closed it seemed, and she felt Alex stirring in the middle of the bed.  
  
Alex sat up and yawned, stretching out luxuriously. She looked down at her friends before climbing out of bed and heading for the bathroom. Clover blinked in surprise when she saw that Sam was already awake as well, staring at her from the other side of the bed in the same way Clover had all night. Clover blinked in confusion, but Sam's emerald green eyes remained steady. Clover noticed the Diocam ring already on Sam's ring finger.  
  
Sam looked down at her pillow, then sat up and stretched as though she were just awakening. Clover followed suit, guessing that Sam wanted to forget the unusual events of the previous night and move on with life. Well that was fine with her, she didn't want to dwell on it either. The ring would let her keep her grades up, voiding any further need for these uncomfortable nights. Life would go on, Clover would succeed, and everyone would win.  
  
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And so life went on, with Sam and Clover both pretending the strange night never happened, though Clover noticed that Sam never took off the Diocam ring. Thankfully, the spies didn't have any more missions for the next few weeks as the blazing Summer heat gave way to the changes that Autumn ushered in. As the next exam drew nearer, Clover's nerves grew more frayed.  
  
Could she actually use Sam like that? Cheating off her paper was one thing, but this kind of subterfuge to copy her test sheet seemed a bit... mean. But Sam had continued to work hard to get Clover ready for this, and she still had no idea how well she could do. She couldn't let Sam down... so she had to cheat. For Sam...  
  
And so the day of the test crept up on her and before she even realized it the teacher was approaching with the stack of tests in hand. Her eyes stared solemnly into Clover's as she plopped the test down in front of her. "Good luck, Clover." She muttered softly as she moved on to give the rest of the students their tests.  
  
Clover stared at the back of Sam's head watching her open the exam and put her pen to the paper. The ring was still on her finger, Clover couldn't have asked for her plan to go any better. Clover pressed a button combination on her watch and the ring camera flared to life. She directed it down toward the paper, getting an easy view of all of Sam's answers.  
  
She hastily scribbled down the answers onto her own sheet, using the Diocam as a guide. Sam's hand was moving rapidly to produce the answers, making the numbers difficult to discern at times, but she managed. She blinked in surprise when Sam dropped her pen and turned the ring upward to stare at it blankly. Clover stared at the screen on her watch as Sam sighed and brought the ring up to kiss it lightly.  
  
"Oh... my... God..." Clover muttered under her breath. Sam was kissing the ring Clover gave her... did that mean she... liked Clover? This revelation hit her so hard it took her several minutes to realize that Sam had resumed the test. She squeaked anxiously and rushed to catch up, copying all of Sam's answers as rapidly as she could.  
  
Finally the last answer was done, and Clover placed her test sheet square in front of her as they were supposed to do. When the bell rang the teacher stood up and beckoned to her students. "Everyone please pass your tests forward, I'll have them graded for you by tomorrow. If there are no questions, everyone can leave." Papers rustled and seats scooted as students passed their tests in then moved to file out of the room.  
  
Clover handed Sam her paper and stood up, rushing out of class in the hope of avoiding coming face-to-face with her friend. She was barely halfway down the hall though when she heard Sam behind her. "Hey, Clover! Wait up!" Clover stopped with a sigh and turned around as Sam and Alex ran up to her. "What's the big hurry?"  
  
"Nothing..." Clover muttered, staring at Sam unsurely. Sam blinked, looking like she always did. There was no indication of what Clover had seen in the classroom. Maybe she was mistaken?  
  
"Ookay... so did you want to come over to my house for our movie night?" Sam asked. Clover quirked one eyebrow. They hadn't spent any nights together since the first study session... maybe this was a good thing. They could get it all out in the open.  
  
"Sure, I'll be there." Clover nodded.  
  
"Great! I'll get the flick and meet you guys there!" Alex jumped in excitement and charged out of the school, leaving the other two spies to stare after her in amusement.  
  
"Well, I have some things to finish before tonight. I'll see you then." Sam said.  
  
"Sure, see you Sammy." Clover waved as Sam walked off, swinging her books in one arm until she turned a corner and went out of sight. Clover shook her head and turned to head home to get ready for that night.  
  
The day fled from the sky and the night's dominion began as Clover walked up the path of stones to Sam's door. Questions raced through her mind, but that didn't stop her from knocking on the door and waiting for an answer.  
  
Sam opened the door shortly and smiled at her. "Come on in, we've been waiting." She stepped aside.  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that." Clover walked past her into the living room. "My mom threw a fit when she found out about my past grades, but she promised not to take any action unless I got an F on today's test."  
  
"I'm sure you did fine, you've been working really hard the last few weeks." Sam smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Now enough work, it's time for play." Sam walked over to plop onto the couch beside Alex, picking up a bucket of popcorn that had been sitting on the coffee table.  
  
"This is it girls." Alex stood up and moved over to the DVD player, pulling a box out of her backpack. "The ultimate movie for a night like this. Pirates of the Caribbean!" She squealed in excitement and stuck the move into the player. Pushing play before taking a running leap onto the couch beside Sam. Clover took a seat on Sam's other side more calmly.  
  
Clover snuck a few glances at Sam while Alex was busy drooling over the movie's pretty boys. Normally Clover would have joined her, but she had too much on her mind at the moment. Sam seemed to be enjoying the movie too though, almost as much as Alex. No hint of liking Clover... it was probably her imagination after all.  
  
The movie soon ended and Alex popped out the disk, squeezing it close to her chest. "I love you Orlando Bloom..." She sighed wistfully.  
  
Sam smiled and looked down at her watch. "It's getting late girls, and we have school tomorrow." She stood up. Alex nodded and gathered up her things as Clover rose to her feet as well. She turned to go, but Sam grabbed her wrist and muttered, "I need to talk to you."  
  
"Well, I'll see you girls. Goodnight." Alex waved and turned to leave, leaving her two friends alone in the living room. Clover gulped silently and turned to face Sam, who was suddenly looking more nervous than before.  
  
"I have something I need to tell you..." Sam coughed. "Since you gave me the ring I've been thinking... it's the sweetest thing anybody's ever done for me." She blushed and looked at the floor. Clover bit her lip, suddenly overcome with guilt. Sam got the completely wrong impression... she'd only given her the ring to cheat on tests. Maybe she should tell the truth...  
  
But before she could Sam continued. "And I thought maybe you felt the same way I did... you know, in thinking there's... something between us." Her emerald green eyes bore into Clover's. "I've always liked you... there I said it." She breathed a sigh of relief, still staring at Clover. Damnit, Clover thought, she couldn't possibly tell the truth now. It would crush Sam in every possible way. She wasn't attracted to any girls, let alone Sam... but she couldn't do that to her best friend.  
  
"I... feel the same way, Sammy..." Clover lied with a forced smile. Sam smiled back and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Clover tightly. Clover sighed and wrapped her arms around Sam as well, resting her cheek on Sam's shoulder. "The same way..." She closed her eyes, wanting to just die right then and there.  
  
They shot open again through when she felt something ticking the side of her throat. A tickle she knew very well... Sam was kissing her neck. Despite knowing who it was, Sam's lips on her neck sent a fire surging through her veins that she'd only felt from boys before. It was kind of frightening... but at the same time she couldn't get enough.  
  
She closed her eyes as Sam gently sucked on her throat, her fingers tracing small patterns up and down her back that sent shivers down her spine. A soft moan escaped her lips as she found herself being pushed back onto the couch to a sitting position, with Sam climbing onto the cushion between her legs. Sam's lips left her throat and she pulled back to look into Clover's eyes.  
  
Clover stared up at her, fully aware of her precarious position. Apparently her eyes said enough, because Sam leaned down to kiss her passionately on the lips, moving her body up against Clover's. Clover groaned into Sam's lips, but as quickly as it started Sam pulled away and stood up. She grabbed Clover's hands and pulled her up after her, leading her silently into her bedroom.  
  
Clover let Sam guide her to the bed and gently push her down, climbing on to straddle her waist and kiss her passionately again, wrapping her arms around Clover's torso. Time passed and faded into a vague memory, well into the night they stayed awake with each other until they found themselves lying on the bed in a bundle, holding onto each other.  
  
Sam moaned softly, reaching up to wipe a stray strand of damp hair from Clover's forehead. "Clover... I didn't know it could be like that." She panted softly, her fingers tracing the pattern of Clover's cheekbones. "That was totally incredible... you're totally incredible." She nuzzled her cheek against Clover's chest.  
  
"Yeah... I didn't know either..." Clover replied. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what to make of it. She had gone in doing it just for Sam... but now, she wondered if it was just for Sam. She had thoroughly enjoyed everything about it... mentally and physically. But still, one fact remained that tore at her mind ruthlessly. It was still based on a lie.  
  
"Sammy... I..." Clover looked down, but stopped when she saw Sam sleeping peacefully against her body. She sighed softly and leaned her head on the pillow again. It was probably best not to bring it up, things were fine as they were for now. She would spill the truth later if she needed to, but for now life was perfect. So she settled down and closed her eyes to slip into unconsciousness.  
  
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"Clover... I'm surprised... you got an A." The teacher smiled and dropped Clover's paper on the table in front of her. "Very well done, keep it up." She smiled and turned to continue handing out papers. Sam and Alex turned in their seats to give her a grin and two enthusiastic thumbs up, but somehow Clover didn't feel much satisfaction from it.  
  
"If there are no questions, you're all free to leave for the day." The teacher told them. Clover got up and headed for the door with Sam and Alex beside her.  
  
"I told you you'd be fine." Sam nudged her with her elbow. "A little study time and motivation were all you needed." It was so weird... as if the previous night hadn't happened. But they'd agreed that morning to keep their normal lives and their newfound relationship separate, though not secret. Sam was too proud to hide anything, and Clover wasn't subtle enough to keep it a secret anyway.  
  
"Yeah Clover, studying did you good. Or maybe some of Sam rubbed off on you." Alex grinned teasingly. They'd told her about their relationship that morning... and she hadn't shut up about it since.  
  
"Maybe..." Clover brushed the praise and teasing aside with a wave of her hand. "So what's on the agenda today?"  
  
"How about we go out for a celebratory pizza?" Alex suggested.  
  
"I'm game." Sam grinned, moving to walk beside Clover. "Let's celebrate the emergence of our newest straight A student." She put her arm around Clover's shoulders as they moved for the entrance, but an annoyingly familiar voice stopped them.  
  
"Look at the freaks of nature running from society." Mandy's piercing laugh grated Clover's nerves, but Sam turned around to face her calmly. "Run, run little freaks, where the sun won't roast your dirty skin."  
  
Clover turned to face Mandy irritably, reaching into her purse. "Don't look now, but your hair's on fire." She said.  
  
"What? My hair? Don't be stupid, like I'd fall for that one." Mandy scoffed. Clover pulled out a lighter and a bottle of hairspray. She ignited the lighter and sprayed it, sending a fireball the size of a basketball hurtling at Mandy's head. Mandy screamed and ducked, but it caught the edge of her hair, which ignited instantly. "AAAHHH! Someone help!"  
  
"Clover! What do you think you're doing!?" Sam ran up to Mandy and pulled off her jacket, trying to fan out the flames. Finally they died down, but not before a crowd gathered to examine Clover's handiwork. Some kids laughed, but others looked on in fear or glared at Clover angrily.  
  
"You... you... SOMEONE CALL THE COPS!" Mandy screamed. Clover blinked in surprise, dropping her hairspray and lighter as she raised her hand defensively.  
  
"Hey, it was just a prank!" Clover claimed. They didn't seem to believe her though, since within the hour she was sitting in the police office waiting for an officer to throw them in a cell. Alex and Sam sat beside her, snitched out by Mandy as being accomplices.  
  
"Assault, Clover. You got us arrested for assault." Sam growled. "Do you know what this'll do to my college applications? I'll never live it down!"  
  
"Stop yelling at me." Clover grunted.  
  
"Both of you stop, we need to band together here if we want to get through this. You know what they do to people in prison..." Alex shuddered in horror, then stopped and quirked one eyebrow. "Though I guess you two might actually like it there." She grinned playfully.  
  
"Shut up." Clover and Sam growled in unison.  
  
"Man, where is this officer? He's been gone a long tiiiiiiIIIIEEEEE!" Clover's grumble turned into a scream as the spies plummeted through a steel chute into Jerry's office, collapsing to the ground in a pile of body parts. "Wow... you saved us from prison. Thanks a lot Jerry."  
  
"We can't very well have our three best spies locked up now can we? Your police records are being wiped as we speak. But Clover, do your best to restrain yourself from now on, you only get one pass." Jerry stared at her solemnly.  
  
"Understood, oh capitan person." Clover smiled, happy to have gotten away with finally giving the little witch Mandy a taste of what she deserved.  
  
"What do you need us for, Jerry?" Sam asked.  
  
"Another peace talk needs inconspicuous guarding." Jerry replied. All three girls groaned, but Jerry ignored them. "You still remember the drill from last time I trust. You get the same gadgets, the audio-recording tiaras, X-ray sunglasses, and I see you still have the Diocam from your previous mission." He said.  
  
Clover's heart stopped beating for several seconds as Sam blinked in confusion. "The Diocam? I don't have it, do either of you two have it?" Sam asked.  
  
"Not me." Alex replied. They both looked at Clover, who was seated between them. "Clover? Do you have the Diocam?"  
  
"D... Diocam... it... uh... it's..." Clover sputtered.  
  
"It's on your finger Sam. And the watch is on Clover's wrist." Jerry told them. "It must be very inconspicuous if you forgot what it was." He chuckled. "I'll compliment the scientists on that one."  
  
"My finger...?" Sam looked down at her hands. The only ring she wore was the one Clover had given her... the Diocam ring. "This can't be the Diocam... Clover gave it to me as a gift..." She looked up at clover confusedly.  
  
"See... the... the thing is..." Clover turned beet red and rubbed the back of her neck, scrambling for an explanation. Sam's expression turned from confusion to one of revelation. "Sammy... I'm sorry..."  
  
"You... used me." Sam whispered. Her voice didn't stay low long, as it rose with every word. "You used the Diocam to copy my paper! That's why you gave it to me!" Sam stood up angrily, yanking the ring off her finger. "You tricked me into helping you cheat!"  
  
"Sam, come on!" Clover stood up. "I'm totally sorry!"  
  
"And what about last night? You told me you gave me the ring because you liked me, That was a total lie wasn't it!?" Sam demanded. Clover opened her mouth, but no sound came out. "You... YOU... you took advantage of my mind AND my body!? You are SICK Clover!" She slammed the ring into Clover's chest and turned away from her angrily.  
  
"I... believe we'll send another team to protect the peace conference..." Jerry said slowly.  
  
"No, we'll do it." Sam looked over at him. "I don't let personal problems interfere with our missions, unlike some people." Her eyes narrowed, the meaning hanging clear in the air. Clover looked down at the floor shamefully, while Alex remained out of it, sitting like a child listening to her parents bicker.  
  
"Sorry Sam, unless your team can function as a single unit we can't risk sending you into the field. I'm putting you on leave until these... personal problems are sorted out." Jerry told them. Clover was relieved, but a glance at Sam showed that she'd only gotten angrier. "Enjoy it while you can girls." Jerry snapped his fingers and the girls were sucked into the ceiling again.  
  
They fell into Clover's bedroom, but Sam instantly stood up and headed for the door. "Sammy, wait!" Clover shouted.  
  
Sam's venomous response stunned her into silence and she paused in her tracks. "Bite me!" Sam stomped out of the room, leaving Clover and Alex in the bedroom. Clover looked at Alex pleadingly, begging her to provide some kind of comfort. Alex looked uncomfortable too though.  
  
"I'll... go talk to Sam." Alex stood and left, leaving Clover alone. Clover collapsed to her knees, holding the Diocam ring in her palms. She had done it all to get the answers for the tests... but after last night, it hadn't seemed like the most important thing anymore. Now it was all gone... she would lose her best friend... perhaps more than a best friend... and there didn't seem to be a damn thing she could do about it.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Alex caught up with Sam halfway down the driveway, but Sam didn't pay much attention to her presence. "Sam, hold on. I want to talk to you." She moved to Sam's side and matched her pace, rubbing the back of her neck with one hand. "I know what Clover did was pretty bad... but we're all best friends. Best friends can't be split up no matter what happens, right?"  
  
"I'm not splitting up anything Alex." Sam replied in a low tone, though her voice was far from soft. "I just can't look at her right now. I can't believe she used me like that. I know she likes to screw around with boys sometimes... but ME? I can't believe she'd do that to me."  
  
"I know, Sam, I know." Alex put an arm around Sam's shoulders, leaning her head against her near shoulder.  
  
"And all just to copy my test answers? She made total fools out of both of us with all that 'studying' we did. She didn't pay attention to a damn thing." Sam growled and clenched her fists. "She was just wasting our time and probably laughed at us behind our backs."  
  
"I know this all seems really damning for Clover, but something good can come out of all this." Alex said.  
  
"Like what? She lied, cheated, and used me for sex." Sam retorted.  
  
"Well... sure you could see it that way..." Alex waved the accusations aside. "But we both know Clover isn't a slut... she wouldn't have sex with someone if she didn't like them." Sam raised her eyebrow ironically. "It's true, she just happens to like lots of different boys at different times."  
  
"What's your point exactly?" Sam asked sharply.  
  
"Maybe she DOES like you Sammy!" Alex said. "Maybe that's why last night happened..." Sam shook her head.  
  
"Not a chance... it was all part of the act to save herself from flunking." She sighed and shook her head, slouching down somewhat. "I was ready to stay with just her too..."  
  
Alex sighed and hung her head, out of arguments in Clover's defense. There was really nothing left to say...  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Clover marched down the sidewalk, clutching her purse close to her chest. She'd never been so high-strung in her life, it was like someone was twisting her stomach into a nice pretzel shape. It had seemed like such a small thing yesterday, but it had ruined a lifetime of trust and friendship. Well, she wouldn't let it go without a fight...  
  
She moved into the small jewelry store on the corner, heading up to the glass case that contained a myriad of glittering diamonds. The clerk behind the counter gave her a courteous smile. "Can I help you with anything, Miss?"  
  
"Yeah, what can I get for..." Clover dug through her purse, looking for the cash that she'd saved up over the last few weeks. "Three hundred bucks?" Clover asked. The clerk glared at her drolly, then pointed to a small ring that looked silver, but the silver was flaking to reveal what almost looked like a wooden ring underneath.  
  
"You can have the genuinely fake silver one." The clerk smirked. Clover sighed and reached into her purse, pulling out the credit card her mother trusted her with. She hoped that trust was very powerful, because she was about to really push it.  
  
"Give me the wallet-whopper there." Clover pointed to a golden, diamond-encrusted ring with a single large diamond the size of her fingernail. She paid no attention as the door to the store opened behind her, focused on the ring that the clerk was holding as he worked on the register with one hand. She grunted when someone bumped into her from behind.  
  
She whirled irritably. "Hey, back off you cr-" Clover trailed off when she saw a gun clutched in his hand, pointed straight at her chest.  
  
"Creep? Maybe?" The man grinned and yanked her purse off her arm, shoving her back with the other arm. She hurtled into the glass case, shattering it and flying backward to the floor on the other side amid a shower of glass shards. Her compowder tumbled from her pocket, landing on the floor in front of her. She groaned in pain as the robber grabbed the clerk. "Stuff all the jewels into this bag, and step on it."  
  
Clover rolled to her stomach, wincing as the glass shards bit into her scraped and bloody flesh. She pushed herself up to her hands and knees behind the counter as the clerk rushed to gather up the rings. She raised her hand and bit her lip as she pulled a glass shard out of her palm.  
  
She gripped the side of the counter, trying to steady herself. She was feeling dizzy from the fall... and the blood loss probably didn't help much either. But she wasn't about to let some creep make off with her purse, it just wasn't going to happen. She tightened her grip on the side of the counter and looked over to make sure of where the criminal was before she made her move.  
  
She leapt forward, doing a forward spin in the air as she flew over the counter. The robber began to turn, but he didn't have time before Clover's high-heeled foot slammed into his jaw, knocking him unconscious into the glass on the other side of the store. Clover fell to her back on the ground with a loud thump, too dizzy to land correctly.  
  
She groaned and shook her head slowly as a pair of footsteps approached, joined by several sirens outside. She blinked in confusion when Sam and Alex appeared to kneel beside her.  
  
"Clover, are you okay!?" Sam demanded quickly. "We saw what happened through your compowder... what did you think you were doing!?" Clover stared up at her, then looked to the side where the ring she'd picked was lying on the floor amid the glass shards.  
  
Clover reached over to grab it and hold it up to Sam, who blinked in surprise. "For you... it's a real gift this time..." Sam reached up slowly to grab the hand with the ring in it, but the blood loss took its toll on Clover and she drifted into unconsciousness.  
  
________________________________________________________________________________  
  
She awoke in a hospital bed, staring up at the soft lights overhead. She could feel bandages dotting her body where the glass had pierced her skin. When she turned her head, she saw Sam sitting in a chair right beside her with her nose buried in a thick book. Clover noticed that the ring wasn't on her finger. "Where's the ring I gave you...?" She asked softly.  
  
Sam looked over in surprise, then smirked. "I returned it when the cashier rang it up. I didn't want your mom to totally wig out when she saw the bill." She closed her book and set it on the small desk beside Clover. She leaned over the bed and put a hand on Clover's. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Aside from looking like a Freddy Krueger victim, sure." Clover grumbled.  
  
Sam laughed and shook her head. "The doctor says there won't be any permanent scars." Her laugh faded away, but Clover continued to stare at the ceiling.  
  
"Sam... I really am sorry... I had no idea you'd take it that way, and you were working so hard all the time to help me pass... I couldn't let you down..." Clover sighed and closed her eyes. "It's not a very good excuse, but it's the best I've got."  
  
Sam giggled and squeezed her hand. "Apology accepted..." She leaned down and kissed Clover on the cheek, pulling back a little afterward. "I won't tell anyone at school how you cheated... and in return you'll study with me and Alex, for real this time."  
  
Clover groaned painfully. "Can't you just break up with me? It'll be easier." Sam laughed and pulled Clover into a tight hug. Clover hugged her back, resting her cheek on Sam's shoulder.  
  
"I love you, Clover." Sam whispered into her ear.  
  
Clover smiled and opened her mouth to speak. "I love..." she paused when a doctor walked past the room, with beach blond hair and deep green eyes with dimples on either side of his mouth. "Him..."  
  
"What?" Sam asked.  
  
"You, I love you." Clover blushed and squeezed her tighter. This would take some getting used to it... but she was willing to work at it. After all, there was nothing quite like being with that one special person. Though two special people might be more interesting... nah.  
  
THE END 


End file.
